1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an observation system for use in operation of a fine portion, for example, in neurosurgery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an endoscope is used in a surgical operation or the like for a reason that there is little invasion with respect to a patient. In the operation using the endoscope, an insertion section of the endoscope is inserted into an operative part from various angles or directions depending on the position of the operative part. An endoscopic image of the operative part which cannot be directly observed by an operator is reflected in a monitor installed before the operator. The operator performs diagnosis or treatment while confirming the endoscopic image.
In general, a curved tube is disposed in a distal portion of the insertion section of the endoscope as described, for example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-248796. With the curved tube, a view field direction of the insertion section of the endoscope is easily changeable by a hand operation portion, even when the insertion section is inserted in a body.
Additionally, to perform a fine operation in neurosurgery or the like, a binocular microscope has heretofore been used, with which stereoscopic vision is possible. In recent years, a video type stereoscopic microscope has been proposed in which an image pickup section is disposed independently of a display section as described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-51201 for a reason that an advice can be given from a remote place or people can simultaneously perform stereoscopic observation. The endoscopic system or the video type stereoscopic microscope has the following problem, because the image pickup section independently moves with respect to the display section.
In general, in the endoscopic operation, the operative part can be observed from various angles using the endoscope. Since the monitor is usually fixed in a predetermined position with respect to the operative part, a direction of operator's eyes toward the monitor does not match an observation direction of the endoscope. Even when the observation direction of the endoscope. Even when the observation direction of the endoscope is changed, video of the endoscope simply moves on the monitor. Therefore, the operator does not easily recognize the position or the direction of the operative part with respect to the endoscope.
The operator needs to perform treatment or observation while constantly imagining a positional relation between the endoscope and the operative part, and experiences and skills are required. When the endoscope described, for example, in the Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-248796 is used, and the observation direction is changed by a curved portion disposed in the distal portion of the insertion section of the endoscope, the operator cannot visually observe a curving degree. Therefore, it becomes more difficult to precisely grasp the observation direction of the endoscope.
Similarly even in the video stereoscopic microscope, the direction of the operator's eyes with respect to the monitor does not match the observation direction of the image pickup section, and the video simply moves on the monitor, even when the observation direction of the image pickup section is changed. Therefore, the position or the direction of the operative part observed by the image pickup section is not easily recognized, the operator needs to perform the treatment or observation while constantly imagining section and the operative part, and the experiences and skills are required.
For example, a device described in Jpn. Pat. Publication No. 6-17940 or Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-17751 can solve the problem.
For example, an endoscope direction display device described in the Jpn. Pat. Publication No. 6-17940 includes: an insertion hole for passing an insertion tube portion of an endoscope; light emitting means for emitting light inwards from multiple directions of an inner periphery of the insertion hole; light reflection means formed on an insertion tube outer peripheral surface of the endoscope; and a plurality of light receiving means arranged inwards from multiple directions of the insertion hole inner periphery. Therefore, the light from the light emitting means, reflected by the light reflection means, is received, distribution of received lights is measured to determine a rotation direction of the endoscope during the rotation, and display on the monitor is possible.
An operation navigation device described, for example, in the Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-17751 includes: instrumentation means for measuring three-dimensional position/posture of the patient with surgical equipments such as the endoscope and treatment tool; and addition means for extracting patient's tomographic image information based on measured three-dimensional position/posture information to add the three-dimensional position/posture information to the extracted tomographic image information. The operation navigation device further includes measurement means for measuring a distance between the patient and the endoscope or the treatment tool. The three-dimensional position/posture information is added to the tomographic image information together with distance information by distance measurement of the measurement means. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp the positional relation between the surgical equipment and the operative part, and it is possible to quickly guide the surgical equipment to a target position.